A Rani in every home

Marking three decades as an actor, Rani Mukerji reflects on being an artiste, the nerves & responsibilities that come with it and womanhood, in a chat with Ahmedabad Mirror

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Back in 2014, during a conversation with Ahmedabad Mirror, Rani Mukerji had delivered a line with a confident grin that has stayed lodged in public memory.

Asked what it felt like to do Mardaani, she had flashed a grin and said, among other things, “I get to kick butt!”

Twelve years later, as she returns with Mardaani 3, that line still holds, for when reminded of what she’d said, Mukerji laughs out in delight, as she says, “It’s not changed.”

However, the woman saying it has changed in ways that feel deeper, quieter, and far more layered.

Still nervous, still becoming

The National Award-winning star recently marked three decades in cinema but despite the massive body of work, Mukerji admits she still approaches roles with a bit of nervousness.

Asked why, the actress, speaking to Ahmedabad Mirror during her recent visit to the city, shares, “Because as an artiste, I pick up characters who are very different from who I am as a person, for example, Devika in Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway. When I have to get into a character, it’s a huge responsibility to portray her correctly on screen.

“For me, it’s nervousness as to how I’m going to get into the character. It might not be seen physically, but in my mind, I am processing. And it makes me nervous because finally, it rests in the director's hands—whether he or she approves my portrayal of this character.”

What weighs on her most is the act of becoming someone else.

“I have to play another human being. I have to live another life. I have to think about what Shivani (Shivaji Rao) would do, what her body language would be and how she would react in a situation—which is not me reacting.”

Leaving work at work